USOC: Society's pillars

OLYMPICS; An Arrested U.S. Boxer Gets to Remain on Team

A USA Boxing panel decided yesterday to let David Reid remain on the 1996 United States Olympic team that will compete in Atlanta despite his arrest Wednesday in Orlando on charges of beating his girlfriend.

"They decided that because the allegation is still in court, there is no jurisdiction to punish him," said Kurt Stennerson, a spokesman for the boxing federation. "They said this is a personal issue, not a USA Boxing issue."

The five-member panel voted unanimously after a 40-minute hearing, he said. The panel consisted of the team manager, two assistant coaches and two boxers.

The USA Boxing team has been in Orlando, Fla., on a break, Stennerson said, and members were allowed to bring spouses or girlfriends. Reid was arrested at 2:40 A.M. Wednesday in a motel and was released Thursday on $350 bond.

Had Reid already been convicted of the charges, he would have been subject to possible expulsion from the team under USA Boxing's code of conduct, but not the United States Olympic Committee's newly enacted code. Reid signed the U.S.O.C. code, but USA Boxing's paperwork has not been processed.

Only nine Olympic federations are now under the code's jurisdiction, said Mike Moran, a U.S.O.C. spokesman, but all will be by July 5. The Olympics will begin on July 19.

Stennerson said the panel hearing the grievance against Reid considered the possibility that the boxer could sue the federation if it expelled him from the team before the judicial process had concluded.

"Any form of punishment would have said he was guilty," Stennerson said. "You have to look at those repercussions."

Stennerson said that Reid declared his innocence to the panel, but otherwise did not have much to say. Reid is not scheduled to enter a plea until July 24 on misdemeanor battery and domestic violence charges.

For Reid to be subject to future action under the U.S.O.C. code, a complaint would have to be filed by an Olympic athlete or alternate, a U.S.O.C. board member or a member of the official U.S.O.C. delegation.

The new U.S.O.C. code, which was adopted in April partly in response to the Tonya Harding-Nancy Kerrigan incident before the 1994 Winter Olympics, includes athletes' pledges to avoid criminal behavior, act in a sportsmanlike manner, maintain a maximum level of fitness and competitive readiness and not use medication or substances banned by the International Olympic Committee.

Another boxer whose legal problems will probably not be subject to the U.S.O.C.'s code of conduct is Lawrence Clay-Bey. News reports disclosed Thursday that the superheavyweight was in a court-supervised rehabilitation program following his arrest 16 months ago for sexual assault. The incident preceded his signing of the code in April when he made the USA Boxing team.

Ex-USOC exec, wife accused of kickback

As the Salt Lake bid scandal trial looms, a former U.S. Olympic Committee official and his wife stand accused of a "kickback scheme" involving a 2002 Winter Olympics sponsor.

Former USOC marketing chief John Krimsky and his wife, Susan, have been named in court documents filed by defense attorneys for former bid leaders Tom Welch and Dave Johnson, whose trial is slated to start July 30, say newspapers in Salt Lake City.

The lawyers say Susan Krimsky, after a four-year business relationship with Sead Dizdarevic, was paid $225,000 by Dizdarevic when he bought her company in 1995. The company, attorneys contend, was "of little worth."

The business dealings and purchase occurred at a time when John Krimsky was making decisions about contracts between the USOC and several Dizdarevic companies.

Dizdarevic is owner of Jet Set Sports, a $20 million hospitality sponsor of the 2002 Games. Jet Set sells Olympic trip packages that include tickets, credentials, transportation and hotel accomodations.

Dizdarevic has been granted immunity by the Justice Department. He is expected to testify at the trial, which has been moved from its July 16 start to July 30.

Welch and Johnson will stand trial on charges of conspiracy, fraud and racketeering in connection with more than $1 million in bribes to International Olympic Committee members voting on Salt Lake's Olympic bid.

Former Colorado Springs resident Krimsky, who resigned from the USOC in April 1999 and now works for YankeeNets Properties, owner of the New York Yankees, New Jersey Nets and New Jersey Devils, did not return a call seeking comment. Neither did the Krimskys' New York- based attorney, Bill Schreiber, or Jet Set attorney Catherine Brabson in Salt Lake City.

Defense attorneys filed the court documents to imply Dizdarevic's actions show a history of currency violations that should be taken into account when the trial begins.

The USOC conducted two internal investigations in the wake of the bid scandal, which broke in January 1999. Neither investigation turned up any relationship between Susan Krimsky and Dizdarevic.

"I'm not sure there is such a relationship," said Scott Blackmun, USOC interim CEO and former general counsel. "We haven't seen anything to confirm there is.

"The Salt Lake City investigations were focused on bid misconduct. My understanding of the allegations is that this doesn't have anything to do with the bid process."

USOC spokesman Mike Moran dismissed the allegations as "pretrial missiles being fired by attorneys."

"We have no knowledge of these allegations by Welch's attorney and frankly, I agree with John's lawyers to not dignify this with a response," Moran said.

FORMER USOC EXECUTIVE FACES CHILD PORN CHARGES

The former marketing director of the U.S. Olympic Committee has been arrested on child pornography charges. 

John F. Krimsky Jr., 68, of Southbury, Conn., appeared Monday in Danbury Superior Court, charged with four felony counts that carry prison terms. 

He is charged with two counts of promoting a minor in an obscene performance, one count of possession of child pornography and one count of attempted possession of child pornography in the first degree. 

Connecticut state police took Krimsky into custody Friday after a two-plus-year investigation into his alleged child porn dealings. Krimsky is free on $50,000 bond. His next court appearance is Dec. 20. 

In 13 years with the Colorado Springs-based USOC, Krimsky drastically expanded the organization's marketing programs. During his tenure, the USOC raised $2 billion in sponsorship money and increased its annual budget by more than $300 million. 

Friends of Krimsky called him "The Tank" because of his hard stance with Olympic sponsors. In a 1994 article in The New York Times, New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, who was then a USOC vice president, said, "I call him the miracle man. I'd say he's probably the most essential part of the Olympic movement." 

Krimsky served as USOC marketing director from 1986 to 1999, save for a 1994-95 stint as interim executive director. After he left the USOC, he served as chief marketing officer for YankeeNets, now known as Yankee Global Enterprises, the holding company of the Yankees and the YES Network. 

In recent years, Krimsky worked as managing director for strategic alliances of New York sports management firm Loring Ward Group Inc. and served as vice chairman of Salus Healthcare International, a California company that operates ambulatory surgical centers. 

Former USOC Marketing Chief Avoids Jail Time

1/16/2009   (f-ing disgusting Pervert! ) just my thoughts!  

(ATR) John F. Krimsky, Jr., who raised $2.3 billion for the U.S. Olympic Committee as its marketing chief through the 1990s, avoids prison time despite pleading guilty to two child pornography charges in November.

Krimsky, 70, received a five-year suspended sentence during a hearing Friday in a Waterbury, Conn., court. He also received 10 years probation. Judge Frank Iannotti could have sentenced Krimsky to as long as three years in jail.

Clinton J. Roberts, a litigation consultant working with the defense team, said the decision came as a huge relief for Krimsky, who was arrested Nov. 30, 2007, on charges centering around Internet e-mails. The judge rejected Krimsky's request to join an accelerated rehabilitation program in November.

"It's far better walking out of court with him and seeing him smile for the first time in a while," Roberts told Around the Rings. "We were very pleased that the judge certainly looked at John's case at this point in time and decided that he had been punished enough."

Krimsky declined to comment.

Prosecutor Debbie Mabbett told ATR she was disappointed Krimsky received no jail time. She said Iannotti "had to weigh the seriousness of the offense -- which is very serious -- vs. the accomplishments he's had in his life.

"We may not have gotten the jail time we wanted," Mabbett added, "but he has to register as a sex offender, which is very important, so we can let everybody know so they can protect their children from people like him."

Krimsky pleaded guilty to one charge of promoting a minor in an obscene performance and one charge of attempting to commit illegal possession of child pornography in the second degree. Both are felonies. More than 300 images were found on Krimsky's computer when authorities searched for the period 2003-2005.

Roberts said the judge considered Krimsky's "sterling background and his significant efforts at rehabilitation.and his many, many unbelievable achievements. He said John probably achieved more in his life than anyone in the court had, and there were some fairly prominent defense attorneys there."

Roberts said Iannotti told the court about Krimsky's career in marketing, primarily with Pan American Airways and the USOC.

"He remarked about the incredible effort that he made and the money he raised for the U.S. Olympic Committee, and his extraordinary record helping young athletes," Roberts said.

Dr. Ernesto Mujica, a therapist from New York, testified at the hearing that Krimsky was not a risk to re-offend. Mujica has been counselling Krimsky for three years. Krimsky will continue therapy as a condition of the probation.

As another condition, Krimsky can only use his home computer, which has been installed with software that will prevent him from visiting pornographic sites. He is not allowed to use any other computers, or his probation would be revoked and he would be sent to prison.

Krimsky also may have no contact with minors.

"We got the satisfaction of having him have a criminal record," said Mabbett, a senior assistant state's attorney, "but I understand why the judge did what he did: His representation, the guy's age, all of his accomplishments. The case went back so many years, and that may have had a bearing. Since that time, he's done all sorts of counseling."

Krimsky , who was known as a hard-nosed negotiator, wants to continue working and has a wealth of marketing expertise. 

"Hopefully John can move forward," Roberts said. "He's resilient. ... He can't go through this without being humiliated and a stigma is certainly attached to it. 

"There are certain conditions and parameters that might prevent him from doing certain things, but I think for the most part, the judge encouraged him. He said being 70 is the new 50, and he thought that John had a lot more to contribute, and he said he was sure he would be able to do that."

OLYMPICS; U.S.O.C. Suppressed Doping Results, Lawsuit Charges

Published: July 18, 2000

DENVER, July 17— American athletes have won medals in the Olympics after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs in Olympic qualification trials, a former senior official of the United States Olympic Committee said in a lawsuit against the committee filed today here in federal district court. 

The official, Dr. Wade Exum, who served the U.S.O.C. for nine years as director of drug control administration, charged that the Olympic committee has essentially ignored test results that would otherwise have led to sanctions against athletes. This was a strategy, he asserts, that effectively encouraged athletes to use illegal drugs to improve their performances. 

''The U.S.O.C. has thrown roadblocks in the path of antidoping enforcement,'' Exum said in a 31-page complaint that seeks compensation for what he described as wrongful termination, in part because he is black. ''In recent years absolutely no sanction has been imposed on roughly half of all the American athletes who have tested positive for prohibited substances.'' 

Exum, who was dismissed on June 5, further said he had uncovered ''scores'' of athletes who tested positive for testosterone, an illegal substance that is especially popular among track and field athletes, but never became aware of any sanction by the Olympic committee. He also said that athletes continued to use synthetic testosterone without fear of punishment. 

Norm Blake, chief executive of the United States Olympic Committee, said in a statement that upon quick review of the lawsuit, he found the complaint to be ''without merit,'' adding that committee lawyers would offer a proper response in time. 

Blake also criticized Exum for filing the lawsuit less than two months before the opening of the Olympics in Sydney, Australia, a time frame that would result in ''unwarranted allegations'' and tarnish the reputation of athletes and their supporters. 

Neither Exum, 51, a medical doctor and psychiatrist who was hired by the Olympic committee in 1991, nor his lawyer was available for comment. The lawyer, John W. McKendree, was out of town, and Exum said in a statement that he would have nothing to say publicly about the lawsuit before a news conference Friday. Last month, Exum made similar accusations in a letter made public by his lawyer. 

In his lawsuit, Exum declined to mention any athletes by name or sport. But his allegations paint a particularly harsh picture of a drug enforcement system designed to do anything but enforce regulations. His charges suggest that American athletes who use illegal substances have nothing to fear from the Olympic authorities and that any time he tried to intercede to improve the system he was undercut by superiors. 

He also repeated a familiar concern raised by other critics of the United States drug-fighting efforts over the years, that by paying two laboratories to analyze urine samples for possible drug use, the Olympic committee engages in a conflict of interest that removes any incentive for lab directors to develop better tests or technologies that might discourage drug use. 

The overall result, he claimed, has led to ''arbitrary and capricious results with improperly lenient treatment for certain athletes presumed positive for performance enhancing drugs and with most athletes receiving such light punishments, or no punishments, as to encourage the use of prohibited performance enhancing drugs or doping methods.'' 

As a further consequence of the Olympic committee's problems fighting illegal drugs, he said, his efforts have ''lost international credibility'' and his own reputation has suffered. 

In addition to allegations about drug-testing procedures, Exum charged that many of his problems working for the Olympic committee reflected his race, which he claimed was the sole reason he was denied promotion to chief medical officer. Four times, he said, control over the budget for his activities was controlled by white administrators, one of whom, James Page, had been barred for life from the national and international governing bodies of skiing for his role in an athlete's drug use. 

Exum said all four of his white superiors were variously promoted over him or given authority over the committee's sports medicine and drug control functions even though none had a medical degree or expertise in drug-fighting strategies. Exum said that he, on the other hand, was often criticized for not being ''a team player,'' which led him to conclude that his race had cost him any opportunity to advance. 

The lawsuit makes eight charges against the Olympic committee, including misrepresentation, wrongful termination and racial discrimination. 

Former USOC executive pleads guilty

By Robert Gehrke Tuesday, 14 March 2000

Former U.S. Olympic Committee executive Alfredo La Mont has agreed to plead guilty to tax fraud in the Salt Lake City Olympic scandal, the Justice Department said Tuesday.

Former U.S. Olympic Committee executive Alfredo La Mont has agreed to plead guilty to tax fraud in the Salt Lake City Olympic scandal, the Justice Department said Tuesday.

La Mont is the first Olympic official to be charged in the scandal. He resigned as the USOC senior director of international relations and protocol in January 1999.

He was expected to plead guilty to two counts of tax fraud Tuesday or Wednesday in U.S. District Court, the Justice Department said. La Mont also agreed to assist the Justice Department investigation, which is expected to be concluded within a year.

Two others - a businessman and the son of an IOC member - have been charged in the scandal in which Salt Lake bid officials gave more than dlrs 1 million in cash, gifts and scholarships to IOC members before winning the rights to the 2002 Winter Olympics.

Lamont was charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States and to impede and obstruct the IRS. The second count accused him of filing a false tax return for 1997.

That tax return omitted dlrs 40,000 in income he received from the Rome bid committee, according to court documents. Rome bid for the 2004 Summer Games but lost to Athens.

The first charge carries a maximum sentence of five years and a dlrs 250,000 fine. The second charge can bring a three-year sentence and a dlrs 100,000 fine.

Investigators say La Mont used a company called Citius, Inc. as a front to conceal income he received from the Salt Lake bid committee.

Documents made public Tuesday say Lamont agreed to "obtain and provide information and services to assist (the bid committee) ... in defeating the other United States cities against which it was competing to be selected" to stage the 1998 Winter Games. Those games eventually went to Nagano, Japan.

Lamont also agreed to "obtain and provide information and services to assist the bid committee in its efforts to influence members of the IOC so as to have Salt Lake City selected by the IOC as the host for the Winter Olympic Games. These efforts included funneling money to an IOC member," the documents say.

Money was passed through Citius, Inc., a fictitious Mexican company to compensate La Mont.

The document said La Mont helped create a paper trail to conceal the transactions between the Salt Lake bid committee and Citius. The bid committee paid Lamont dlrs 48,514, the document said.

La Mont resigned his USOC post after the disclosure of his business relationship with Tom Welch, then-president of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee.

La Mont earned more than dlrs 63,000 for providing information on and arranging meetings with Latin American members of the International Olympic Committee, an Olympics scandal ethics report found.

Businessman David Simmons pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor tax violation in August 1999. He admitted illegally deducting the salary of the son of South Korean IOC member Kim Un-yong as a business expense.

The money to pay Kim's son, Kim Jung-hoon, came from the Salt Lake bid committee. Kim Jung-hoon was indicted a month later on charges that he lied to federal investigators and fraudulently obtained a green card. The elder Kim was reprimanded by the IOC.

An internal USOC investigation found that in 1988, La Mont asked the USOC to wire as much as dlrs 20,000 to a Washington bank to cover air fare and other expenses incurred by IOC members attending a meeting there.

USOC chief financial officer John Samuelson said La Mont took the IOC officials shopping with the cash.

La Mont, 50, also was affiliated with ARCA Inc., another consulting company hired by the Salt Lake bid committee in 1992, according to a separate SLOC ethics report. La Mont told the USOC the company was owned by his wife and exported medical equipment.

But the SLOC ethics board found ARCA received more than dlrs 18,000 from the bid committee, including dlrs 3,000 channeled through the company to Austin Sealy, an IOC member from Barbados.

Sealy said the money went to his son, who had been hired by ARCA and did not know of ARCA's affiliation with the Salt Lake bid. The IOC reprimanded Sealy.

7/07/2008 2:59 USA Judo Prepares Statement to USOC on Official Accused of Molesting Athletes

Last month Ronda Rousey, the judo Olympian who is America's best chance at a medal in the sport, posted an entry on her blog that accused a judo official of molesting girls who participated in the sport. Soon after, she removed the entry for, she said, "legal reasons."

But the story is not over, according to USA Judo, the sport's governing body in the United States. Today I was e-mailed a statement from USA Judo CEO Jose H. Rodriguez saying, "USA Judo is looking into this situation and will be providing a statement to the U.S. Olympic Committee by next Monday, July 14."

It is not clear what this statement will consist of or whether it will be made public, but it is clear that when the sport's best athlete is making this kind of accusation, it's not something that can simply be ignored.

Women File Multiple Discrimination Complaints Against USOC

At least three USOC female employees "have filed claims with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission [EEOC] alleging they were fired, demoted or paid less by the USOC because they are women," according to Bill Briggs of the DENVER POST. Former USOC finance manager Colleen Badgley filed the most recent claim Thursday, stating "she was told by a USOC supervisor not to apply for a marketing position because the job was earmarked for two male candidates." Badgley: "There are many, many males here who make more money than I do, and they have fewer college degrees than I do. My ultimate goal is equal rights, equal pay and equal opportunity for the women here. That's basically what I'm all about now." The USOC "does not comment on matters pending before the EEOC." EEOC spokesperson Patricia McMahon said, "You are innocent until proven guilty, and the fact that five, six or 20 people have filed charges doesn't (imply) guilt" (DENVER POST, 9/22). SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL's Steve Woodward notes U.S. Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-CO) is scheduled to meet with EEOC reps this week to discuss the complaints. Campbell's office earlier this month "submitted to the Justice Department about 80 pages of documentation collected from interviews with USOC employees." Campbell said, "I don't know if you can say, blanketwise, that there is a problem with all women (employed by the USOC). But there are some pretty graphic examples (of discrimination) that have been submitted" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 9/22 issue).

Women File Multiple Discrimination Complaints Against USOC

At least three USOC female employees "have filed claims with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission [EEOC] alleging they were fired, demoted or paid less by the USOC because they are women," according to Bill Briggs of the DENVER POST. Former USOC finance manager Colleen Badgley filed the most recent claim Thursday, stating "she was told by a USOC supervisor not to apply for a marketing position because the job was earmarked for two male candidates." Badgley: "There are many, many males here who make more money than I do, and they have fewer college degrees than I do. My ultimate goal is equal rights, equal pay and equal opportunity for the women here. That's basically what I'm all about now." The USOC "does not comment on matters pending before the EEOC." EEOC spokesperson Patricia McMahon said, "You are innocent until proven guilty, and the fact that five, six or 20 people have filed charges doesn't (imply) guilt" (DENVER POST, 9/22). SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL's Steve Woodward notes U.S. Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-CO) is scheduled to meet with EEOC reps this week to discuss the complaints. Campbell's office earlier this month "submitted to the Justice Department about 80 pages of documentation collected from interviews with USOC employees." Campbell said, "I don't know if you can say, blanketwise, that there is a problem with all women (employed by the USOC). But there are some pretty graphic examples (of discrimination) that have been submitted" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 9/22 issue).